The present invention relates generally to improvements in fare collection systems and components thereof, and specifically to the provision of an improved fare box having a coin singulating and counting device therein and a cash box adapted to cooperate with a master vault for security purposes.
This invention is an improvement upon the fare collection system and components thereof described and claimed in our copending patent application Ser. No. 855,970 filed Nov. 30, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,801.
In one form of the standard fare collection system used heretofore, a fare box was provided for each individual vehicle such as a bus, the fare box counting and recording the coins as deposited; at the end of a work shift, the vehicle was taken to a central location where the contents of the fare box are removed by pneumatic means to a central secure vault. An example of such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,203 granted Oct. 22, 1974 to Golland et al. The fare box of such a system is mechanically complicated and expensive to manufacture, the complicated fare box frequently jamming and presenting severe service problems during use. Although the pneumatic withdrawal of the contents of the fare box is supposedly under secure conditions, practice has shown that the measures taken are not sufficient absolutely to prevent unauthorized withdrawal of fares from the fare box. Specifically, the system is not secure against forcible entry, and forcible entry may take place without any warning to management that such forcible entry has occurred.
Prior fare boxes are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 420,265 granted Jan. 28, 1890 to Bricker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,032,876 granted July 16, 1912 to Bucknam and U.S. Pat. No. 2,079,255 granted May 4, 1937 to Jones. None of these prior fare boxes provide the security of the fare box in the present invention.